Railroad Commission sunset bill passes Senate

Texas senators unanimously approved a bill that would ensure the continuation of the Railroad Commission of Texas, with a few changes, Thursday afternoon.

Senate Bill 212, authored by Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, stemmed from an interim sunset review of the agency, which regulates the oil and gas industry. It was passed by a 31-0 vote and now heads to the Texas House, which is mulling over its own identical piece of legislation, House Bill 2166.

Several amendments to address campaign financing of the commission’s three elected members and renaming the agency to better reflect the industries it governs – it no longer oversees railroads – were tabled Thursday. Two, both offered by Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, were passed with the bill.

One of the amendments reinstates four commission employees who work in the Alternative Fuels Research and Education Division, which was removed upon recommendation by the sunset commission. A second Williams amendment moved the cap for industry fees from $20 to $30 million; if the Railroad Commission’s oil and gas division’s cleanup fund falls below $10 million, the industry would pay into the fund but not to exceed the cap.

Two amendments to rename the agency, to either the Texas Energy Resource Commission or the Texas Department of Oil and Gas, both were tabled.